Intermittent-feed mechanism



June Z4, 1930. yA. s. Howl-:LL

INTERMITTENT FEED MECHAN-ISM AFiled Nov. 21; 1925 Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALBERT S. HOWELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, .ASSIGNOR TO THE BELL & HOWELL COM- PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS INTERMITTENT-FEED MECHANISM Application led November 21, 192,5. Serial No. 70,450.

My invention relates particularly to interinittent feed mechanism which is adapted for operation to feed at very high speeds such as are necessary in the operation of a motion picture camera in the taking of ultra speed pictures although not limited to this use alone.

The main object resides in the provision of an intermittent feed mechanism having .registering means for registering an intermittently fed strip at each stop thereof, which is simple and effective and capable of operation at very high speeds as aforesaid.

The invention relates particularly toxintermittent feed mechanism of thevtype described and claimed in U. S, Letters Patent No.L 1,509,556, granted September 23, .1921, on application filed by me, and constitutes an improvement thereof. t

The above obect and' certain other objects hereinafter set forth are embodied -in the preferred form of my invention hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and are effected by certain novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure l is a front view of an intermittent feed mechanism embodying my `invention with parts removed and broken away. t

Figure 2 isan enlarged partial section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1 with the parts shown in different positions from those that are shown in Fig. 1. a f

Figure 3 is an enlarged partial and condensed section on the line 3--3 of .Fig 1.

Figure 4 is a partial section similar to Fig. 2 showing a di'erent position of the re istering means hereinafter described.

igure 5 is a face view of the spring blade registering member hereinafter described.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the same.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawing designates a rear film face guide plate which is secured facewise against a suitable support-2, and a front film face guide plate 31s disposed iii adjacent spaced parallelism with and in front of the plate 1, this plate 3 being secuied on a suitable support 4 immediately in front of the same. See Figs. 1 and 3. Edge guide rails 5 and 6 are mounted on the support 4 an( extend along respective longitudinal edges iof the plate 3 and engage respective edges of a film strip 7 between the plates 1 and 3 for guiding the film strip edgewise for longitudinal movement through the guide formed by the plates 1 and 3 and the rails 5 and 6, the rail 5 being 'mounted for movement toward and away from the rail 6 and being yieldably urged toward the rail 6 by a spring 8 and against the respective edge of the film to maintain contact of the other edge of the film with the rail 6 for accurately guiding the film edgewise and for exerting a slight resistance against movement of the film in the guide. The spring 8 is opposed by a spring 9 yieldably urging the rail 5 in the opposite direction for reasons unnecessary to state, but the spring 8 is stronger than the spring 9 and thus functions as aforesaid.

The front face of the support 2 is provided with a wide relatively shallow channel 11 extending longitudinally of the guide which cooperates with the rear face of the plate 1 to guide an elongated rectangular plate 12 for movement longitudinally of itself and of the guide, the plate 12 being disposed in a plane parallel with that of the guide and being reciprocable longitudinally of the guide. v The plate 12 is reciprocated by a revoluble member 13 at the rear of this plate and disposed on an axis normal to the plane thereof and provided with a crank pin 14 having a. roller 15 mounted thereon and engaged in a transverse slot 16 in the plate 12 intermediate the ends thereof.

The plate 12 carries a pair of spring pressed ratchet toothed devices, consisting of ratchet toothed bars 17 and springs 18, spaced transversely of the guide for engagement in respective marginal perforations 19 in the film strip 7 in the guide for intermittently feedingr the film with reciprocation ofthe plate 12, the ratchet toothed bars 17 projecting through respective slotsl 21 in the plate 1 extending longitudinally of the guide and being yieldably urged by the springs 18 to engage the perforations of the film strip 7 to feed the same with one stroke of the plate 12, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and to ratchet over the perforations on the return stroke of the plate 12.

A spring blade member of suitable spring metal is disposed similarly with the plane of the guide at th'e lower end of the plate 1 and adjacent the lower end of the plate 12, leading during the feeding stroke of the plate 12, when this plate is at the conclusion of the feeding stroke thereof. This spring blade member extends transversely of the guide and has its center portion 22 secured facewise against the rear face of the plate 1 by means of extensions 23 of said center portion. End portions 24 of the spring blade member are free for movement normal to the plane of the guide and are offset forwardly from the main portion of the blade member and have their front fac'es cut away below the tops thereof, as designated at 25, for engagement with respective marginal perforations 19 of the film strip 7 in the guide for registering the same, as shown in Fig. 2, the plate 1 being provided with apertures 26 for this purpose.

The spring character of the spring blade membennormally maintains and yieldably urges the end portions 24 into 'a rearward position out of engagement with the perforations of the film strip, as shown in Fig. 4. rl`he spring blade member is provided adjacent said end portions 24 with extensionsk 27 projecting upwardly toward the plate 12, and the lower end of the plate 12, leading during the feeding stroke thereof, is provided with cam portions 28 aligned with respective extensions 27, and adapted to engage the extensions 27 when the plate 12 is at the end of its feeding stroke for effecting engagement of the end portions 24 with perforations 19 of the film strip 7 in the guide for registering the same and disengagement of said end portions with said perforations for permitting the feeding of the lm strip. Specifically the cam portions 28 engage the extensions 27 just as the plate 12 is finishing its feeding stroke to engage the portions 24 with perforations 19, as shown in 'Fig 2, and as the plate initiates its return stroke the cam portions permit the spring of the blade member to disengage the portions 24 from the perforations 19 as shown in Fig. 4. The plate 1 is cut away at its rear face, as designated at 29, `to clear the extensions 27 in their movement.

Thus in the cycle of operations the plate 12 moves through a feeding stroke with the teeth of the ratchet bars 17 engaged'in perforations of the film strip to feed the same. At the extreme end of the feeding stroke of the plate 12 the end portions 24 are engaged with perforations of the film strip to register. the same, and as the return stroke of the plate 12 is initiated the end portions 24 yare disengaged .from perforations of the film strip, and the ratchet bars 17 ratchet over the perforations of the film strip during the return stroke of the plate 12 preparatory to another feeding of the film strip. The tension on the film strip created by the spring 8 urging the rail 5 toward the rail 6 with the film strip therebetween serves to prevent backward movement of the film on the return stroke of the plate 12 with the ratchet bars 17 ratcheting over the perforations of the film strip.

As shown the end portions 24 register the film strip by preventing overthrow of the film strip in the feeding direction, which Y overthrow is a common tendency vparticularly where the mechanism is operated at very high speeds. As a result of this registration it is not necessary that a tensioning device, exemplified in the drawing by the spring 8 acting on the rail 5 as before described, be provided which is capable of overcoming the overthrowrof the film strip, and as shown the spring 8 need only be strong enough to guide the film against the rail 6 and to overcome any tendency of the film to move backward by reason of the ratchet bars 17 ratcheting over the perforations of the film strip on the return stroke of the plate l2.

In order to prevent springing of the end portions 24 inthe direction of the feeding movement of the film bearing portions 30 are provided on the lower edges of the apertures 25 of the plate 1 which engage the lower edges of the spring blade member adjacent the ends thereof.

While I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown as changes may readily be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, but having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following 1. In an intermittent feed mechanism the combination with a member reciprocable longitudinally of a perforated film strip for intermittently feeding the same, of registering means mounted independently of said feeding member and adapted for engagement and disengagement with perforations of said strip and yieldably urged into disengaging position, and cam means whereby said recip-rocation of said feeding lnember effects engagement and disengagement of said registering means with perforations of said strip.

2. In an intermittent feed mechanism the combination of a member reciprocable longitudinally of a perforated film strip for intermittently feeding the same, of registering meansl mounted independently of Y alleljto that of said guide-and reciprocable said reciprocable member and adapted for engagement and disengagement with perforations of said strip and yieldably urged into disengaging position, and means including a cam portion on said reciprocable member^ and means engaged by said cam portion adjacent the end of the feeding stroke thereof whereby 'said reciprocation of said reciprocable member effects engagement and disengagement of said registering means with said film strip.

3. In an intermittent. feed mechanism the combination with a guide and an elongated' rectangular plate disposed in a plane parallel with that of said guide and reciprocable longitudinally of itself and of said guide ment of said registering means with said perforations of Vsaid strip.

4. In an intermittent feed mechanism the combination with a guide and a. plate disposed in a plane parallel to that of said guide and reciprocable longitudinally of said guide for intermittently feeding a film strip, provided with marginal perforations adjacent respective longitudinal edges thereof, in said guide, ofa spring blade member disposed similarly with the plane of said guide and adjacent, when said late is at the conclusion of its feeding stro e, the end vided wi h marginal perforations adjacent respective "longitudinal edges thereof, in said guide, of a spring blademember disposed similarly with the plane offsaid guide and adjacent, when said plate is at the conclusions of its feeding stroke, the end of the plate which leads during the feeding stroke of the plate, said spring blade member extending transversely of saidguide and b'eing secured at its center and having the end portions thereof free for movement normal to said guide and adapted for engagement with respective of said perforations of said film strip in said guide for registering the same and for disengagement therefrom and spring pressed into disengaging position,

spaced cam 'portions on said end of said plate, and cam engaged portions on said spring blade member adjacent respective ends thereof for engagement with said cam portions at said end of said feeding stroke of said plate for effecting engaging and disengaging movement of said end portions of said spring blade member.

In witness whereof I hereunto aHiX my signature this 16th da -of November, 1925.

ALB RT S. HOWELL.

of the plate which leads during the feeding` stroke of the plate, said springv blade meinber extending transversely-of said guide and beingv secured at its center and having the end portions thereof free for movement normalto the plane of said guide and adapted for engagement with respective of said perforations of said film stri in the guide for lregistering the same and or disengagement therefrom and spring pressed into disengaging position,and means whereby said leading end of said plate effects said engagement and disengagement of saidend portions at said end of said stroke of said plate.

5. In an intermittent feed mechanism the combination with a guide and an elongated rectangular' plate disposed in a plane par.-

longitudinally of itself and of said guide "for intermittently feeding a 61m strip, pro- 

